The Risen Girl
by Amy Virtue
Summary: Our memories make up who we are. The moment we lose them, our being, our sense of self, ceases to exist. So I am not your "Lucy" nor your "Lily". They suffered; I did not. I will never be them, nor will I ever understand them, because I have different experiences. So please. Stop. I am not them. I am Takara, and I do not know you. A drabble sequel series to "Strongest One"
1. Chapter 1

This is the sequel to "The Strongest One of All", titled "The Risen One". In the years since I've finished "The Strongest One of All", my writing style has changed. I've also matured and experienced truly amazing stories. Looking back at the audience my story garnered inspired me a lot, even though I honestly don't believe I deserved it. Thus, I have decided to thank my readers with the long-awaited sequel that was requested (and denied for about three years).

For those who have read my previous story—thank you so much. Please keep reading—this is sorta a refresher (not only for you but also for me) and I took the chance to explain some stuff and fill in some plot holes while I was at it.

For those who haven't read my previous story—that's ok too. You don't have to, if you don't want to. If you choose not to, though, please be aware that a lot of things are changed from canon. For one, the characters are generally stronger, having undergone intense training and received tutelage under the Dragons which Lucy had summoned from the Dragon Realm. The main cause for this AU is the beautiful Lucy-is-ignored-because-of-Lisanna cliché.

Here's the summary of what happened in my story. Also, if you get confused, please just keep reading. I fill in a lot of stuff while I go…

Lucy left Fairy Tail, received training from the Celestial Dragon, who turns out to be Lucy's mother, Layla, who spent a few decades in the Human Realm in human form. Lucy then becomes essentially an Elemental Dragon Slayer—which includes all Dragon Slayer styles we've seen in canon, meaning Fire, Air, Light, etc. And yes, I'm counting Light/Shadow as Elements. She also learns some other Dragon Magic types, like Space so she can make portals, but there are also a lot of other Dragons, and she mainly wanted to focus on Elements and make her control better. She's not perfect—it took a lot of time, even with the difference in time flow, so she just focused on the 'main' Dragon Magic types. After she learned she would be training for an indeterminable amount of time, she sent the Celestial Spirits away to Yukino, who only had minor spirits at the time, but treated them well. Loke told her about the Celestial Mage who was struggling to be strong enough to join a guild, and kind to her Spirits, so Lucy sent them to her.

Eventually, she returns to the Human Realm under another guise, and starts destroying dark guilds, each time leaving a clear sign of it being her work behind. Along the way, she picks up bits and pieces of other magic (i.e. requip, which is one of her best 'picked up' magic types because she's seen Erza do it a bunch), but she's no expert in them—more of a jack of all trades, master of none, in those magic types. At some point in the seven years before the core FT members come back from Tenrou, she decides to (re)join Fairy Tail. During the 3 months Fairy Tail Team A has to train, they undergo intense training, including freezing water, piranhas, mountains, and boulders (let's leave it at that, shall we? ^^). She also helps Natsu and Wendy become more proficient in Dragon Slayer Magic. When they participate in the Grand Magic Games, she is introduced as Lily Heart, Strongest One of All (at this point, no one knows she is Lucy). Due to her immense strength, she wins a lot more points for Fairy Tail. Someone higher also arranged for her to fight against Jura (which she also won). During the GMG, it is also revealed that she knows Mavis very well—Mavis is actually Lucy's half-older-sister via their mother the Celestial Dragon). She also reveals her identity.

What happened in canon!GMG doesn't happen here. Yeah yeah I know, not canon, but when I wrote the Strongest One of All, the manga hadn't even gotten to the details of the Final Battle—it ended with the revelation of "The Fairy Tactician". So, creative license and all. I made up a different ending.

In the final part of GMG, I left an accidental plot hole—but basically, Rufus knocks everyone out except Fairy Tail (who dodged), Lucy reveals she's actually lightning-resistant (Elemental Dragon Slayer, 'member?), knocks Rufus out, and the guild gets on her case about how secretive and suspicious she's been acting recently. Mavis says she might as well reveal her secrets, so Lucy promises to tell them when they get back to the guild. At the guild, Lucy reveals she's actually Lucy Heartfilia.

She also fights against Master and Gildarts to test/prove her strength to the guild—using the healing abilities gained from Grandine, she is able to heal Gildarts' metal limbs. However, she uses all her power to do it, and basically collapses into a coma/sleep afterwards (see? Not perfect, like I said).

Eventually Lucy also forms a team with Lisanna and Wendy—Lisanna leaves Team Natsu and Juvia joins Team Natsu a while later. Lisanna convinces Lucy to train her and Lucy brings them all to the Dragon Realm, leaving Lisanna in the care of the Nature Dragon. When they return to the Human Realm, Lisanna and Wendy are able to beat Mira and Erza (respectively) and the three enter into the GMG (which they win…).

Lucy learns that the literal children of dragons (possible because dragons can take on human forms) are immortal like dragons and that once they 'die' in the human realm, they can maintain a spirit human form set at a young age (9-12) like Mavis does or a physical dragon form. They also become dragons of something (Mavis is Dragon of Fairies), and can actually die, similar to dragons (just don't 'age' or get sick, etc.). Before the GMG end, all the guilds are attacked by dark guilds and mages. Lucy knocks them all out and announces to everyone Fairy Tail will be starting an open training camp specifically tailored to make them stronger against the dark mages.

After a year of intense training, everyone returns to civilization (which is mostly consisted of terrified civilians and dark guilds at this point with the light guilds that didn't join them having been pretty much wiped out) much stronger and they start taking down the dark guilds. They meet again in the next GMG, but things go wrong when a new Sabertooth boy fights Lucy and uses highly lethal magic against her, and yells that he has no qualms about destroying her or any about harming the others in the stadium. Furious, Lucy sends him into dark nightmares using Demon Magic (the only spell she ever learned with that magic) and later takes pity on him and sends him into sweet dreams using Angel Magic (the exact opposite). Again, she only knows a few spells with that magic—it's another 'jack of all trades, master of none' thing.

That night in the guild's hotel, Fairy Tail is understandably suspicious—'demon' and 'angel' are relatively unknown magicks since they are so 'divine' that they are possibly harmful to the user's soul. Mira uses Satan Soul Take-Over but that's ok because it's a subset of Take-Over Magic whereas Demon Magic and Angel Magic are their own magic types. After a short confrontation, in which Lucy states that Makarov is not her only Master, Fairy Tail misconstrues her words (a quiet defense that they don't have the right to demand answers) as a hint that she might be spying on them for a dark guild or something—something that is actually partially believable because she's kept many secrets in the past and is very distant from them, due to their past betrayal of her (remember? Forgetting her because of Lisanna and being harsh sometimes?).

Hurt, because they don't trust her and immediately leap to the worst conclusion, she walks out on them with only a "Goodbye Master" which Mavis replies to—because Mavis also counts as her Master (as the First, you know?).

"Goodbye Lucy. We'll see each other again," is the last line of the story—and that is how it ends.

 **Alright, confession time! I finished everything above here on the 5th but then I couldn't think of what to write, so...:( Sorry! *kowtows* Please forgive me! Anyways, on to the story! Oh, and I don't own Fairy Tail...**

Chapter 1

Takara gazed up at the stars on her back, wondering why she felt so lonely, eyes a pale sapphire color in sadness. Arms cushioning her head, she closed her eyes and wondered what her family would be doing right now.

The golden-haired girl had very few memories outside the Dragon Realm, with her earliest memory being waking up to someone she instinctively recognized as family.

"My name is Layla; I am your mother."

She had been filled with love, trust, and confusion at the time, not knowing what in the world was happening.

"You were very hurt when you came home. Hurt in your heart, a hurt I had no way to heal. Your sister Mavis came up with an idea, and my friend Memoria took away your memories for you. I promise I will take care of you from now on, and not let you be hurt again."

She had started anew in everything—body, mind, soul, magic. She had no skills, no instinctive knowledge…all she had was her family—her mother, sister, aunts, uncles—beside her the whole way. But that had been enough for her.

"You…do not have your old body, or your magic. Instead you will have to train to regain them…if you wish to. We will take care of you, my beloved daughter, if you wish it."

As a child, she had been attracted to sparkly things—she had begged the Jewel Dragon, Gem, to teach her. And so she became the Jewel Dragon Slayer.

"Well done," Gem had praised her, smiling gently at her. "You have mastered all I have to teach you," the dragon in human form had ruffled her hair gently. "In only 5 years too! Are you ready to go into the Human Realm now?"

It had been her dream since Mavis told her about the guild she had created in the Human Realm when she had first opened her eyes to a new life.

"Yep!" she had cheered, eyes sparkling in joy. "Thank you so much, Auntie!"

Throwing her arms around her favorite aunt, she had dreamed of what she could do in the Human Realm…and yet here she was, on her back in the middle of nowhere, simply gazing up at the stars.

"I miss you all so much…" she whispered, holding a hand up and reaching for the stars.

Glowing strands of tinted-white blue magic swirled up around her hand and died out after a few moments, leaving behind a handheld mirror made entirely of crystal with emeralds inlaid around the edge. For a moment, she gazed at the product of her magic, then dropped her hand to her side again.

"I don't know what to do anymore…I've been walking for hours already, but I can't sense any humans around whatsoever. I don't know how to get to your guild, Mavis…everything suddenly feels so impossible…"

She tilted her head back, huffed, and closed her eyes.

"Tomorrow," Takara promised to herself. "I'll find Mavis-nee's guild tomorrow…"

 **End.**

 **Thank you to all my beautiful and encouraging readers! So sorry for the long wait! And for the short chapter; I'm sorta not sure on where this story is going to go, so if anyone has any suggestions for what should happen after the next chapter (in which she meets Fairy Tail), please PM or review.**

 **Um, I'll try to reply to the reviewers if I can, but if I don't get to specifically answer questions, I'm sorry and thank you for reviewing in advance! The best way to contact me if you have questions is via PM, but reviews are fine too.**

 **If anyone is confused: sorry! I'll explain more in the next chapter but here's the general gist of what happens after "Strongest One of All":**

 **Lucy returns to the Dragon Realm, seeking a respite from the hurt that came from her family basically stating they don't trust her; Fairy Tail holds a lot of good memories for her and she's pretty much** ** _just_** **gotten over their past betrayal. Having trusted in them twice and been hurt both times, she's** ** _pretty_** **hurt by it, if you get what I mean. Her mother Layla asks Memoria, Dragon of Memories, to wipe Lucy's memories. Since Memoria has a limited power over memories, Lucy's memories are completely erased.**

 **She wakes up as a kid with absolutely no memories (maybe 3 or 4, I don't know), and makes a life from there on, this time becoming the Jewel Dragon Slayer (yep, no Elements anymore, just Jewel). Eventually she becomes talented enough that her mother and aunts and uncles (the Dragons) are willing to fulfill her long-time dream to explore the Human World and see Mavis' guild (she grew up with Mavis by her side). It's been about 5 Dragon years, so about…I don't know, maybe one human year. Let's just say that time flows unpredictably and will change, ne? ^^**

 **Mavis named her 'Takara', which means 'treasure'.**

 **Later on, I plan on her receiving memories or flashes/impressions. She might recover her memories completely…but I'll have to think about it.**

 **A lot of the delay was also because I couldn't think of a proper summary...oops again; sorry!**

 **Thank you everyone! Your support is my heart, I love it!**

 **Please review!**

 **And if you want to flame me, please don't. I'd like to say I'd use them to roast marshmallows, but in all actuality, they're very discouraging, and make me sad…**

 **Once again, everyone, thank you! Sorry this took so long; I hope to write the next chapter soon!**

 **Peace out!**

 **~Amy**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 **Hi guys~ sorry it's been so long since my last update but I really don't know how to go. Sorry if any of you guys are confused! I tried to explain…?**

 **Um, so basically:**

 **-"The Strongest One of All" happened (or at least that story's summary did, ^^)**

 **-After leaving Fairy Tail, Lucy went into the Dragon World**

 **-In the Dragon World/Realm/whatever she is basically miserable and heartbroken**

 **-Her mother Layla (Celestial Dragon/Dragon Queen) notices and has Lucy's memories erased (via a Dragon) and her body changed so as to actually give her a childhood (you know, since canon!kid!Lucy didn't really have one?)**

 **-Lucy wakes up as a kid with zero memories and grows up in the Dragon Realm. The most prominent figures in her life include Layla (mother), Mavis (sister), and some Dragons (aunts/uncles), most namely Gem, the Jewel Dragon (teacher).**

 **-Mavis names her 'Takara' which means 'treasure' (so I'm referring to her as Takara not Lucy. Plus it'll make it harder for people to recognize her when she goes back to the Human Realm).**

 **-She grows up to be an amazing Jewel Dragon Slayer (I'll give more details on that later…probably) and finally convinces her overprotective family to let her go into the Human Realm, which she's dreamed about since Mavis first started telling her stories about it.**

 **-She goes into the Human Realm and the story begins! ^^**

 **Sorry, I hope that makes things clear(er)?**

 **Oh, and her eyes change color. A lot. So they change with her emotions, but they'll also change when she's using her magic. In the latter case, they change into whatever jewel she's using, which is typically crystal since she has an inclination towards crystal, but she can use any other jewel/gem in existence.**

 **Anyways, let the story begin!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

 **PS: I forgot to say, but I'm making it so that time flows differently in the Dragon Realm than the Human Realm (like the Spirit World). Like a river, the difference in flow of time will vary—sometimes 5 years to 1 Human year (like right now), sometimes more or less. So right now, in Human Realm years, it's been 1 year (approximately…) since Lucy vanished (or "The Strongest One of All" ended).**

Trotting along the dirt path, Takara wondered how far her sister's guild was from her current location.

 _Looks like I was wrong when I said I'd arrive today then…_ Pouting, she blew a strand of golden hair away from her eyes and picked up her pace. _At the rate I'm going, I'll be lucky to find someone to give me directions today. Too bad it'll probably give the general human population heart attacks if I transformed into a Dragon…after all, I do travel a lot faster that way…_

An explosion and a distant yell caught her attention and she pricked up her ears even as she turned in that direction.

 _Woah_ , she mouthed silently as an enormous fireball barreled up into the air and slowly vanished into a huge cloud of smoke— _I can feel the blistering heat from here._

A grin crossed her lips— _Yay, person! I wonder who that is? Let's go find out~_

Her heart lifted in excitement and hope; that fireball was almost as big as the ones Uncle Igneel had blown once.

Immediately, she shifted gear and slammed her hands together, a white-blue magic circle expanding rapidly from her hands and slowly rotating before her, almost as large as she was.

Takara could almost feel her eyes changing color.

"Crystal Make: Sled!" she grinned; she always loved using Crystal Magic in particular, a branch of magic that her teacher Gem had showed her once Takara proved proficient and more than adequate in the wide branch that was Jewel Dragon (Slayer) Magic.

Fine crystal dust swirled down from the center of the magic circle and formed a sled made of pure crystal.

As the magic circle faded away and she felt her eyes return to their normal contented chocolate brown, Takara felt her smile grow even wider—she had gotten the sled just as she'd wanted it, down to the very last detail of small carvings along the sides.

"Right, let's do this," she muttered under her breath as she plopped herself down on the sled (letting out a relieved sigh as the cool crystal soothed the blisters on her bare feet) and pushed off the cliff path she'd been carefully walking on and, instead of going along the path which (eventually) would lead to the ground, went straight down the steep side of the cliff-face, a slope that was almost vertical.

Her startled laughter echoed in her ears as she hurtled towards the ground at breakneck speed, the crystal shed chipping at the cliff face and leaving behind a trail of dust in its wake.

The sled skidded to a stop at the base of the cliff—or rather, it embedded itself in the ground and Takara rocketed off of it, only managing to flip and dive into a roll just in time.

Running to disperse the momentum, the crystal turning to dust behind her, she dove straight into a warzone, only just managing to form a sapphire shield in front of her as a fireball went for her face.

Immediately, she launched herself to the side, rolling even as she cast her hand before her, leaving fine dust to trail through the air and enormous shields of varying gems rocketing up from the ground, covering her flight.

She rolled into a crouch, magic circles circling around her hands even as one, spanning five meters on either side of her, bloomed and expanded from her feet.

At the sight of a mostly-unarmed group making no moves to attack though, she frowned slightly and stood properly, the magic circle at her feet shrinking down back into her.

A spark of recognition echoed in her mind— _hmm, they look somewhat familiar for some reason…maybe I knew them in the Before?_

"Oi! Who are you?" the pink-haired mage bounced forward, pointing rudely at her, scowling in confusion. "You just came flying out of nowhere! Are you here to attack us?"

"Ah." Takara sketched a quick bow. "My apologies for startling you. My name is Takara."

One of them raised an eyebrow, and she internally winced—right, normal children didn't tend to speak so formally. She usually didn't either, but she had no idea how to act with strangers.

"I do not have any intention attack you nor your client," she nodded at the carriage they were converged around, obviously for protection. "I was merely lost and seeking directions."

"Oh, that's alright then!" the pink-haired mage grinned. "So are you a mage? You've gotta be if you've survived this long lost as you were!" he laughed.

At her frown of confusion, a dark-haired boy stepped up, casually stripping out of his shirt before her eyes, "What this idiot means is that there are a lot of dark guilds around here, so we're pretty surprised at seeing someone who isn't an unfriendly out here. These forests _are_ pretty dangerous after all."

The only girl in their group nodded in agreement, "There are usually a lot of bandits as well who ambush people in the mountains. That's why these escort missions are so high-paying. How did you get lost?"

Takara hummed thoughtfully, looking as though she was thinking hard, for a few minutes, then shrugged.

"I forgot."

At her words, the others face-faulted.

"How do you forget how you got lost?"

"I have been lost for…a long time," she furrowed her brow slightly. "I am not certain how long…someone told me that I could get to Fairy Tail through this short cut, so I followed their directions…but then I got lost…"

"Fairy Tail?"

"Un, I was looking to join since I heard they were really welcoming for new members," she tilted her head. "Are they not?"

"Nah, it's just that we were sorta surprised. There aren't really a lot of non-guild mages around," the dark-haired man, now clad only in boxers, answered, hands moving to the waistband of said boxers.

"Why is that? And please don't take off those as well," Takara replied, eyeing his hands warily.

As he yelped and frantically began searching for his missing clothes, the woman sighed and responded to her incredulous look, "Yes, he does tend to remove his clothes quite often…we're trying to break him out of the habit, but it's hard to when he doesn't even realize he's done it. And to answer your questions, it's because Fiore is currently in a civil war; all of the light guilds have banded together to fight the dark guilds. They've recently been getting stronger than ever, even though we've already fought them down a bunch of times. There are a lot of them who keep escaping prison, to boot, and we've been run ragged by them. The dark guilds also tend to snatch up all the mages who aren't part of a light-guild, so it's pretty rare to see any freelance mages nowadays."

Takara nodded pensively; Mavis hadn't told her of this…probably because she didn't remember to in time…she sweatdropped. _Mavis-nee, you're really silly sometimes…_

"Ah, are you part of a light guild then?" she questioned, suddenly remembering she had meant to ask them before.

The scarlet-haired woman nodded, tapping her chestplate, which proudly displayed a guild mark for all to see.

"Yes, we're a part of Fairy Tail."

"Cool," Takara's lips tilted upwards slightly.

"I am Erza Scarlet; those too are Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster. Natsu's the idiot breathing fire; Gray is the idiot who keeps stripping," Erza sighed in aggravation, pinching her nose.

Chocolate brown eyes shifted into a light pink in amusement.

"I see…would you take me to Fairy Tail then?" she queried.

"Of course, we'd never turn away a mage seeking to join," Erza answered, a light smile on her face.

The scarlet-haired mage offered a hand to Takara, who grasped it firmly.

"Thank you. It'll be a wonderful experience for sure."

"Welcome to Fairy Tail, Takara."

 **LOL. I'm sorry. I know that was short, guys, but real life is killing me. I'm sorry! It's just that on top of 3 different sports, 10 different classes, 5 of which are AP classes, and plot bunnies invading my mind, I was practically dying. I swear, I haven't been able to sleep before 12AM for a month now. Sorry. I have ~1-2 weeks of break, which is why I'm cramming writing as much as I possibly can before stress is back.**

 **One of my friends said you guys would murder me then bring me back to make me keep writing.**

 **You wouldn't…right?**

 ***laughs nervously and turns tail***

 **Sorry, gotta run or life will catch up to me!**

 ***runs away screaming at the top of my lungs***

 **Readers: *blink. Blink* After her!**

 **:P**

 **Please read and review~ Reviews are love! And if you get confused, PM me or leave a question! I will respond to every review, I promise~ Also, if you have any suggestions for what should be coming, that would be appreciated. I was stuck with a huge case of writer's block—like, what should I do? How far has the story progressed? Etc. Though, as you can see, I did solve some of that in this story. Next chapter should be within the month, I promise!**

 **Shout-out to my amazing reviewers:**

 **-Anh. My very first reviewer~ virtual cookies to you! I'm glad you enjoyed "Strongest One of All", though personally, I don't feel like it's all that good…. which is why I'm trying to make it up to my amazing fans with this sequel!**

 **-LucyHRose. Haha, sorry if it's confusing! I tried to make up for it in this chapter. Since I also forgot what I wrote: yes, Lucy is Takara. What happened was that she went to the Dragon Realm, had her memories wiped, and ended up a child with no memories. They renamed her Takara, but as the story goes on, you'll see Takara slowly regaining memories of Lucy. Glad you like my story~**

 **-Shyleah. "Strongest One of All" is finished; this is the long-awaited and long-pleaded-for sequel of it. And yes, I'm planning on continuing this one…it's just that I suffer from chronic slow-updating-ness and thus update ~once every other week or once a month. :( Sorry guys!**

 **-Fairy Saber. Haha…yeah that was it. Sorry~ But here's more! ^_^**

 **-Guest (Nov. 13) Thanks~ I love writing fanfics too; I'm just struggling with time. *heaves sigh* stupid time.**

 **-Guest (Dec. 5) Don't worry, I'm planning on Lucy remembering Fairy Tail~ And here's an update, just for you guys!**

 **-Lucy of Fairy Tail. As always, Lucy-nee is an awesome help! :) You're the one of the main reasons I reconsidered writing a sequel (the other was how many fans I had! And how nice they all were...most of them at least...), so thanks again!**

 **'** **Til next time, everyone!**

 **~Amy**

 **Please don't flame. And if you spot any errors, feel free to tell me. Although...I think I'm a bit too lazy to go back and fix them. Sorry~**


	3. Chapter 3

Original Summary has been changed cause I found a more serious way to say it~ ^_^

Original:

Sequel to the Strongest One of All (summary's included). Lucy Heartfilia has had her heart broken by Fairy Tail twice-and twice is enough. She leaves Earthland and returns a child who has only ever dreamed of the Human Realm since her sister first told her stories of it. But reality is never as good as fantasy...who are all these people? And why do they feel so familiar to her?

Summary:

Prequel ("Strongest One of All") summary included. Our memories make up who we are. The moment we lose them, our being, our sense of self, ceases to exist. So I am not your "Lucy" nor your "Lily". They suffered; I did not. I will never be them, nor will I ever understand them, because I have different experiences. So please. Stop. I am not them. I am Takara, and I do not know you.

Chapter 3

 **Hey guys…so you know when I said the update would be within a month? *nervously smiles* I LIED I'M SO SORRY GUYS I'M A TERRIBLE AUTHOR! *ducks***

 **Anyways, I lost track of time actually and life is killing me TT^TT please review guys and give me not only some inspiration for what to write next (suggestions are always appreciated, as are compliments ^-^) and encouragement to write more~**

 **Love you guys a bunch!**

 **Anyways, as always, responses to readers are at the bottom as well as any questions I received in my reviews! Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I, sadly, do NOT own Fairy Tail. My drawing skills are wayyyyy too bad for it…*pout***

Takara accompanied them on their way as they finished escorting their client to her destination. The obviously rich and civilian lady spent most of the remaining two days inside the (very, _very_ large) carriage, which was apparently stocked with a variety of desserts, snacks, and complimentary drinks that the mages were not privileged to, as well as fans, cubes of ice, and two handmaidens who were at her beck and call. When they stopped to rest for the night, the two servant-girls prepared a camping tent and sleeping bag that were more like a room and bed for the lady—materials that, apparently, had been in the second carriage (which also held supplies to replenish whatever the lady had eaten up) that Erza had been towing behind her for the majority of the trip.

They arrived at the client's mansion two days after Takara had met with them, with several attacks made by desperate bandits (who were surprisingly easily and quickly defeated, though Takara supposed she couldn't really expect civilians to be as powerful as actual Mages—let alone the Dragons she was used to training against) and two made by some dark mages (who had also been relatively easy to defeat—but something about all of the others' attacks unnerved her with their extreme familiarity…)

* * *

She stood outside as the Fairy Tail group collected their pay, lingering a few meters away from the entrance of the mansion for politeness' sake, leaning against the large gate and idly playing around with her magic, sparks of magic dancing between her fingertips and occasionally forming gems and jewels that twisted around her fingers, hands, and wrists in elegant, elaborate designs then bursting and disappearing into a shower of sparks.

Sensitive ears caught the sound of footsteps echoing behind the closed wooden door; she straightened quickly, letting all signs of her magic fade away as she stuffed her hands into her pockets casually. Her eyes shifted into a slightly guilt green at almost getting caught fooling around and using her magic to fulfill her own vanity before she calmed herself down and let neutral apathy seep into her features, turning her eyes a calm gray.

"Are you guys done?" she queried, allowing a small, patient smile to tilt her lips up.

Erza nodded, "Since it's so late, we've decided to spend the night in this town and depart in the morning. The next train headed to Magnolia is tomorrow anyways, so we can spend tomorrow on the train."

Takara dipped her head in understand and fell in step with them as they left the mansion behind, trodding down the long path that snaked from the gates of the mansion to one of the main streets of the town. Discreetly, she sniffed the air and identified the origin of the scent of travelers and food.

"The closest inn is a few streets down from here," she spoke out loud, eyes closed, mind whirling and already mapping out a path to the inn, letting her senses create a mental map for her.

She knew from experience that her eyes were now a white-golden bright with intelligence. Even with her eyes closed she could tell that the others were looking at her oddly, and she knew her voice was distant and different, but she continued speaking in a manner vaguely reminiscent of a prophet or a seer.

"Straight for five streets then a left turn, and a right turn after three streets. This inn is in the middle of the town; it offers room and board and is the more-liked inn in town. The other inns nearby are: straight for six streets, a right turn, then a left turn after seven streets. Backwards for five streets, a right turn, leaving the town walls, and following the path twelve hundred meters back as it leads up to the only inn outside the town walls within five kilometers of here."

Opening her eyes as they faded back to her typical calm pale blue, Takara offered her companions a serene smile. Entering her 'trance' was something she enjoyed and looked forward to every day—usually, allowing her senses to not only expand to her range of five kilometers but also focus and narrow down on whatever she was searching for allowed her to completely unwind and relieve herself of her stress. It was something she usually did in the morning after waking up and/or (if she had time) at night before sleeping, but for the past few days, she hadn't been able to let her guard down. However, she trusted her future guild-mates enough to completely relax in their presence.

A few beats of stunned silence passed as her companions simply looked at her and Takara gazed back, eyes a tranquil blue.

"That was awesome!" Natsu burst out, hopping around and waving his arms frantically, eyes large. "How'd you know that?!"

Serene smile still lingering on her lips, Takara merely inclined her head, "I can be incredibly attuned to my senses, so I merely expanded my senses. I used my sense of smell for the most part, detecting where the scent of houses and homes were and where the scent of traveling originated from and recalled everything else from my memory as we were walking through the town."

They stared at her for a few moments, eyes blank and glazed over, having no idea what she was speaking of, before blinking rapidly and shaking their heads.

"…Alright," Gray awkwardly shifted in the blank silence, "Will you lead us there? 'Cause it's getting pretty dark."

Takara gave a single nod and moved past them, footsteps as light and silent as if she were floating rather than walking; the others followed her closely, putting the previous minute out of their mind. The young girl took a few turns and stopped in front of a medium-sized, fairly nice building with 'SUJI'S INN' written neatly in slightly chipped and faded paint on a board hanging over the threshold of the entrance.

Calm cerulean eyes met theirs, and Takara inclined her head royally.

 _She looks like such a princess right now_ , went through all their minds.

It was not her appearance that made her seem so, for all her youth and beauty and style. No, it was the dignified manner with which she carried herself, the maturity in her actions that often made them forget how young she really was, the quiet confidence and assurance she had in herself. It appeared in her dignity, her grace, her faith in not only herself and her abilities but also in those of her companions.

"There is no need to pay for more than one room; there are three futons to a room if you request it and I will be spending the night outside the town walls. I have business to conduct; I will meet you at dawn tomorrow at the train station."

With that, she gave a small bow, turned on her heel, and left.

* * *

Takara had taken the opportunity to investigate the mages' claims—not that she did not believe them, but she wanted to confirm their information. There were indeed a multitude of dark guilds around the area—all minor guilds however that she took care of with little difficulty. By the time she finished up with them, dawn was fast approaching, so the Jewel Dragon Slayer merely jogged over to the small train station of the town and curled up on a bench in front of the station's entrance.

Her ears perked up at the sound of footsteps and familiar voices, and she looked up.

"Good morning," she greeted them, eyes a tired dark gray, taking in their rested demeanors. A flash of green jealousy overtook her for a moment before she pressed that feeling down. "Did you sleep well?"

They all responded with variations of "Morning" and "Yes" as she uncurled and rose fluidly from the bench.

After they had bought their tickets, they stood at the station waiting for the train to arrive. Despite the early hour, there were still a great many people at the station; the dull throbbing in Takara's head increased at the loud, albeit subdued due to the time, noise that surrounded them.

When the train had finally arrived, she curled up in her seat and leaned against the window, eyes slipping closed as exhaustion hit.

* * *

She awoke to the train abruptly screeching to a halt, her head banging back against the headrest. Immediately, her eyes snapped open as she winced in pain.

"Ow…what's happening?" she murmured.

Erza frowned beside her, "We shouldn't have arrived yet…"

Just then, they heard a distant shout and a scream; the other passengers in their car flinched in surprise.

"Hey! What was that?" one of them whispered, a note of worry in his voice.

As the compartment door slammed open, yelps of surprise rang out. A man stood in he entranceway, non-descript and unremarkable save for the knives he was twirling in one hand. Takara narrowed her eyes, as did the other 3 mages beside her—none of them missed the whispers of magic in his knives and fingers.

"Stay calm, folks," he smiled placatingly at them, "you won't get hurt if you listen and obey. Now we'll be collecting…protection fees from all of you. We'll go down the row one by one, alright? Each of you place all your money in this," he flipped off his hat with the hand not occupied with the knives, "and no one will be hurt, least of all yourselves, good sirs and madams."

Here, he paused, eyes taking in all of them. The Fairy Tail mages' eyes were all narrowed, but Takara forced her face to relax, plastering a terrified look on it even when she was absolutely annoyed, as shown in her dark orange-red eyes.

"If any of you object however…"

A knife was suddenly flying towards Takara's face.

At the same time Takara threw up a shield of diamond in front of them, the other mages burst into action—Erza was suddenly vaulting over her shield, a sword out, Gray had frozen the entire floor in the blink of an eye, and Natsu was standing guard over the civilians in the compartment.

The other mage, caught by complete surprise, was taken down and knocked unconscious almost immediately.

Erza dropped him after giving him another punch 'just in case' and turned to the civilians.

"Please stay calm," she requested of them (as they were screaming their heads off and panicking like headless chickens). When that didn't work, her expression turned stormy, and she fairly roared, "SILENCE!"

Of course, her terror tactic worked (as always), and she was able to give them a very terrifying but completely sincere (in her desire to destroy them perhaps, Takara mused) smile that made her look rather psychotic.

"Please stay calm," Takara interjected, clambering onto her diamond shield and swinging her legs slightly as she faced them. "You are not only making a nuisance of yourselves and worsening my headache, but possibly alerting other intruders. We are qualified Mages who are now leaving to secure the rest of the train and to apprehend the others. Please lock the door until we come again and assure you that it is safe to move about."

As she said this, a magic circle was gradually spreading from where she sat on the diamond shield and the shield gradually melting into the ground to join the diamond that was creeping along the walls, ceiling, and floor to completely seal the compartment in.

"Thank you," she added belatedly as she stepped over to where the compartment door had once been. The diamond parted for her, forming an exit, and she waited until the other three mages had passed by before resealing it again. "Ciao."

"Let's go kick some dark mage butt!" Natsu whisper-cheered, grinning wildly with excitement.

Their compartment was conveniently one of the last ones on the train, and the attackers had obviously begun at the other end of the train, having caused the train to stop in its tracks in the first place.

Takara smiled slightly, eyes burning a light red in battle-excitement, and they began to split up as they moved down the train, each person taking a compartment of their own to secure with their own means.

 **Questions & Answers:**

 **Q: Why didn't the client just ride a train in the first place?**

 **A: As we see in this chapter, attacks on trains happen frequently. And as a rich snob, she can afford to pay for an escort mission. She paid extra for a strong team to protect her too, and this team in particular (and most of Fairy Tail haha) fight better in larger areas cause then they have more leeway for destruction. ^-^**

 **Q: What do you mean by Takara 'took care of' the dark guilds? Did she kill them or something? Isn't she a bit young for that?**

 **A: It's really up to you guys how you want to take it. I just want to say—the way she was raised in her second childhood is a lot different than how we've been raised, so she probably doesn't have too many qualms about killing. Death is simply not something she fears. And also, in this fic, the Magic Council is…well, with all the dark guilds, it probably doesn't have enough guards to go around. Or prison cells.**

 **Q: Why was Takara so tired? She only pulled one all-nighter.**

 **A: Unlike most of us, Takara is still ~9 years old. Thus, kid. Sure, she may be a Mage, but she still gets affected by lack of sleep as a kid. And she's probably not all that used to pulling all-nighters.**

 **Q: What do you mean by securing the compartments "by their own means?"**

 **A: It means that they each have a different way of 'securing' a compartment—that is, making sure it's safe for the civilians inside. For Takara, as seen, it is by encasing the entire compartment in diamond, which is known to be a very hard substance. For Gray, it is encasing the entire compartment in ice. For Natsu, probably something to do with either pranks or fire. ;) And Erza is a demon already, so probably booby traps with swords or something haha.**

 **Q: Where's Happy during all this?**

 **A: He's currently with Wendy and Carla. Because he's courting/wooing Carla and missions like these that last** ** _forever_** **are always boring for him :) Wendy also likes to spoil him with treats and fish, and Carla's there, which are both great pluses and convincing arguments, so he likes hanging around with them while Natsu's gone.**

 **Q: Why haven't you updated? And when will you update again?**

 **A: Life. Lack of reviews, and thus, lack of motivation. *cries* help, guys. Come on, please~~~~~~~~~ I worked hard on churning out this chapter, didn't I? *sparkle* it's actually remarkably long considering I literally only started writing this two days ago as I started feeling guilty about my writer's block and life. ;) And I PROMISE—a promise I will keep this time—that I will update within one month. Actually hopefully even sooner than that cause I planned out most of this chapter for once but I felt guilty and so decided to post it before I completely finished it.**

 **Sneak peek into next chapter:**

 **Takara gets more memory flashes as she observes their fighting styles and as they finally arrives in Magnolia. Maybe a finally-meeting with Mavis if I can stretch it long enough~**

 **Review Responses: I love you guys by the way. Thank you so much.**

 **-xXChikiXx: thanks for your support! I did already answer your questions, but I'm going to post the same answer I gave you after the reviewer responses finish!**

 **-xXShadowSoulXx: here's the update~ ^-^ glad you like it!**

 **-Flamexofxchaos: thank you so much! No offense taken at all, I promise. I did admit how much my first story sucked before, didn't I? ;) I did write it in a rush too. I actually wrote it in a cramming session of 6 days when I was younger, struck by a bolt of inspiration, and was not being suffocated by homework and life haha.**

 **-strongerLucy: ^_^ Thanks for your support! I'm glad you like my stories! Here's your next update~!**

 **Thank you guys so much again!**

 **Please review! And no flames please!**

 **Now—a continued Q &A~**

 **(which may or may not become a thing. I'm experimenting ;) oh and if any of you guys get confused, you might want to read this stuff. Or just PM me/review me questions I'll answer in my next installment of "The Risen Girl"~ )**

 **Q (by xXChikiXx):** **And also what happened to all the other dragons, and does Takara(Lucy) know that she is a dragon, and how does Wendy and them feel about Lucy leaving in the first place at the end of "Strongest One of All"?**

 **A: This is exactly how I responded in my PM, by the way guys.**

OK, first off: the other dragons. Well, they're still around. In the Dragon Realm, that is. Takara/amnesiac!Lucy was raised in the Dragon Realm as their little "princess". In comparison to Lucy's original childhood, she grew up lavished and spoiled with love and affection. The other dragons were her "aunties" and "uncles", although now that I think about it, there were probably only a few that she knew really well.

It's hard to explain, but I suppose you can consider most of the Dragons as "family friends" who Takara/amnesiac!Lucy occasionally sees and interacts with. As expected, Gem, as Takara's teacher, will be much closer to her than that, and of course Layla, Takara's mother, will be closest of all. So basically, the other dragons are in the Dragon Realm. Hope I didn't confuse you! ^_^"

Next: As she grew up in the Dragon Realm, yes, Takara/amnesiac!Lucy knows she is a dragon. I hinted at it in Chapter 1 and in "Strongest One"-the half-dragons are, after death, become(?) dragons slightly different than the "normal" dragons. It's somewhere in the summary of "Strongest One" I put in Chapter 1. Basically, she usually stays in a human form, but she can also become a dragon.

Finally: Fairy Tail's feelings about Lucy's departure. Well...we'll get into that later. ^_^ but since you're an amazing fan and all, I'll tell you this: for those who did not doubt Lucy that much, especially those who had not forgotten her in the beginning, they are absolutely, utterly, wholly, and completely furious with the others for driving her away and breaking her trust in them.

As you see, Lucy is so affected by their betrayal that her mother, Layla, wipes her memories because of how much Lucy is suffering (and, as a mother, she naturally wishes to wipe that pain away, which she does by causing Lucy to forget everything and giving her a new life in which Layla can ensure Lucy's safety and happiness). So the ones who didn't betray her...well, they might have left the guild, disgusted with them. OR they might have decided to stay and torment the others and make them suffer.

Saa, who knows? You'll find out in the next installment of "The Risen Girl!"  
Teehee, and thanks for reviewing again! Feel free to ask me any other questions you might have (and sorry for the massive blocks of text, whoopsmighthavegottenJUSTalittlebitcarriedaway?)  
^_^

Please read and review guys! I love you, and I will always take suggestions on what you guys might want to see next time!

Oh, and another question for you guys: Do you guys prefer longer chapters but longer waits in between or shorter chapters but shorter waits in between? Thanks guys!

Sincerely,

Amy

 **PS: Thank you so much to my lovely and wonderfully patient reviewers/readers. I churned this out just for you guys~ lots of love!**


	4. Chapter 4

Takara slammed open the door in a single fluid movement; even before the door had finished opening, however, she had already begun 'taking out the trash,' as she preferred to put it. As the dark mages turned to face her, she had already slammed the unforgivingly hard diamond hilt of a sword forming in her hand, wisps of magic swirling around thin air as she essentially built herself a new sword within moments.

The girl didn't bother waiting for them to react to her entrance—she was raised as a Dragon. Unlike samurai and most mages (even dark mages), she didn't have the same sense of honor that demanded her to wait for an opponent to recover (or, as the case could be, monologue them while they pick their jaws off the floor). Instead, she followed up on her attack, launching into a flurry of action.

She made liberal use of the enclosed space and her smaller size, darting between her surprised opponents as they shouted.

"Face me like a man!" one roared, and she mentally snickered.

 _Idiots._ Takara's mind worked in a different way than them; because she wasn't a front-line combat fighter, she preferred to avoid direct confrontations and instead utilized skills that were 'dishonorable' but far more versatile and suited to her style. Tripping, tricking, underhanded tactics…those were what she excelled in. Diversionary tactics and dodging until she found an opening to strike. Her favorite move to combat multiple opponents was to let two or more rush her from opposite directions and jump at the last moment, usually flipping up onto one of their heads and slamming everyone together with even more force.

Within minutes, the five goons were knocked flat; the only one not unconscious was groaning pathetically on the floor, curled up in a ball around the sensitive area Takara had unhesitatingly kicked very strongly after he had tried to sneak-attack her with a knife.

She bowed politely to the terrified civilians, made sure each of the enemies were knocked out, and dragged the limp bodies out into the corridor while diamond crept up the walls, encasing the compartment in a safe shield.

"Please do not worry; we have the situation under control. Once the train begins moving, the shield will drop and you will be free to move around as you please. Until then, please stay put and do not panic. Thank you."

After she dumped the mages on the floor outside, she moved on to the next compartment, nimbly leaping over a slightly charred mage as he came hurtling out into the hallway, followed closely by a flaming Natsu.

The compartment she tackled next was, to her pleasant surprise, actually barricaded unlike the others. Obviously, the mages in this one were intelligent enough to know that they were far outclassed by the unknown assailants taking down their guild-mates and to prepare a defense as a result. An anticipatory smirk tugged at Takara's lips as her eyes began to glow crimson in bloodlust. Human and young though she seemed, she was a Dragon first and foremost, living in the thrill of the moment and thriving in battle.

After testing the defenses, she smirked—not half bad. In fact, the defenses—made of Rune Magic if she guessed correctly—probably would have been strong enough to fend off most Light mages. They were infused with the strongly negative emotions closely associated with Dark magic: hatred, bloodlust, fear, etc. and typically had the most effect on Light-aligned mages.

Her grin stretched wider.

Shame that she wasn't fully Light-aligned.

Inhaling, she focused on pulling up the sole memory of Acnologia she ever had and the overpowering hatred and terror that she had felt at the time. It was a fragment of a memory from her previous life, a memory she no longer fully recalled. All she remembered now was the blurry image of the dark dragon laughing cruelly at her as shadows overwhelmed her vision and her nerves were set on fire.

Behind her closed eyelids danced that torturous experience, and, unseen by anyone, dark red ribbons spiraled down her right arm, wrist, and fingers, extending into the air about two feet and leaving polished obsidian in its wake.

Crimson eyes snapped open to observe the solid spear that had formed in her hand; the child hefted it, as though testing its weight…

And without warning, hurled it at point-blank range at the center of the door.

 _BOOM._

The resulting shockwave would have knocked her off her feet had a dome with several layers of ruby not formed around her.

When it faded away into magical particles, she blinked a few times at the completely-obliterated door and the no-longer-existing walls of the train.

Rocking back on her heels, she tilted her head, examining the shell-shocked and gaping occupants of the compartment.

"Whoops," the golden-haired child innocently smiled, eyes curving closed into crescents. "Didn't quite mean to make it that powerful."

And then she vanished.

* * *

"You're smart. I like you!" Takara declared as she swung her legs in the air, lying on her stomach next to a barely-conscious red-haired mage and poking his cheek as he groaned.

"Get away from me, you demon," he moaned, uselessly flopping his hands around.

Takara only giggled cheerfully and prodded his cheek again.

They had cleared the train of the dark mages and secured it just over half an hour ago. The conductor, unfortunately, had been concussed in the initial skirmish and thus could not safely drive the train, so Erza had taken the wheel, being the most experienced. Meanwhile, the civilians, although slightly traumatized, had suffered few injuries, having been smart enough to do as the ambushers had demanded. The Fairy Tail mages had generously recompensed both them and themselves with the surprisingly many bulging wallets of the dark mages. While they did that, Takara dragged the criminals over to one compartment, knocked most of them out again for good measure, and locked the door. Now, bored out of her mind, she was focusing all of her attentions on the lucky Mage who had been smart enough to set up a defense and the only person who had caught her eye the entire trip.

On the bright(er) side, fighting had taken away most of her pent-up tensions and antsiness, so for now, she had let most of her inhibitions go. Relaxed and no longer reserved as she had been before, she was behaving more like her physical age now than before.

"You're really interesting though!" she laughed.

"Hey, Takara!" Natsu's voice shouted.

She glanced up immediately to see the Dragon Slayer standing in the doorway, arms against either frame.

"Hey," she echoed, a relaxed smile on her lips.

He blinked, almost startled, before his fanged grin widened.

"We're almost past the mountain ridges, so we'll be at the nearest town in five minutes tops. Probably gonna drop some of these guys off and let the Council take care of them," he jerked his head at the captured wannabe-burglars. "But since there are so many of them, Erza said we should leave the weakest ones in their prisons 'cause the Council takes forever sometimes and since it's a village and all, their security won't be top-notch like the cities we'll pass by maybe later."

Takara nodded in serious contemplation, "I see. So just abandon a few who won't be able to escape pathetic civilian precautions and keep the ones who are debatably stronger for slightly less pathetic defenses. It's a well-thought-out strategic move."

Natsu sweat-dropped discreetly, _You didn't have to say it so bluntly…_

"But I'm keeping this one to personally guard!" she announced, an almost eerily large smile taking up her face, "He's so interesting~ I really like him! And I'm sure in time I can train him to love me too!"

 _I'm almost afraid to ask…_ Natsu thought, uncharacteristically wary in the face of the palpable excitement of a girl he had only seen mature and serious, _but…_

"Why is he so interesting?" the Dragon Slayer ventured.

"Hm?" Takara blinked. "Well…I think…I guess…it's probably because…"

She made a humming noise, eyes closed, and tapped her chin.

"Ah! I got it!"

Natsu leaned forward in curiosity.

"It's because," she took a deep breath and leaned forward as if imparting a very important secret, eyes twinkling orange in mischief.

"He actually has a sense of self-preservation unlike the rest of you morons!" she finished.

Natsu face-faulted even as Takara lay her head on the red-haired dark mage's back.

"EH?! Whaddaya mean we don't have any self-preservation?!" he protested indignantly.

The golden-haired girl half-opened bored gray eyes.

"If ya don't know what that means," she yawned, "ya don't really deserve ta. Now shoo," she added, eyes closing lazily as Natsu fumed, "I'm tryin' ta sleep here."

Natsu gave a few very impolite sounds in response, only for Erza to walk in.

"He was taking too long," the requip mage explained to no one in particular as she tossed Natsu down the hall.

It was very fortunate that the civilians were not in the vicinity as Erza proceeded to give Natsu a thorough and reportedly long-overdue beating for such 'unwarranted' actions.

An hour later, they were on their way once more, about ten criminals lighter with Gray at the head of the train.

As she continued to rest, eyes closed and appearing asleep, Takara pondered over the fighting styles of her companions, all of which seemed strangely familiar and continued pressing at her mind even when she tried to push it away in order to sleep.

Natsu, she knew, was obviously a student of Igneel. There was no way he could be anything but—every move he used was one variant or another of Igneel's techniques. Beyond that, however, she disliked the notion that she obviously knew him prior to her new life; after she had finished up with the last compartment of invaders, she had wandered back over to watch Natsu fight. He had faced a water mage who very skillfully put out most of his fire and, very strangely for her, Takara had instinctively moved to intercept the mage when it looked like Natsu was in danger. It had been an unconscious action, and she had, afterwards, blinked at the hands which had just punched the man in the temple and left him sprawled on the floor, knocked out.

"Hey, what was that for? I had him," Natsu had pouted.

She frowns in remembrance as to how she had for some strange reason expected something different: like Natsu should have said not a 'I had him' but a 'thanks for the save, L-!"

Beyond that, she had also been able to predict most of Erza's attacks, although she had never seen them before in her new life and the fact that the other girl, like a true swordsmaster, was primarily instinctive and unpredictable in her movements. Grey's movements and attacks had been familiar to her as well, and she...

She furrows her brow as she loses that train of thought.

What had she been thinking about again?

 **I would like it said, firstly, that this chapter has been written for a full year, but that I just completely lost all motivation to write and never came back to this story. I still have a lot of miscellaneous scenes floating around and planned that I will get to writing/posting eventually, but for now this is going to be more of a drabble series than a fic. They're chronological drabbles for now, but that could change as time goes on. Thank you for your patience, everyone, and thank you to everyone (Guest 2/5, Kagura-nee-san, Katherine, Flamexofxchaos, jailyne, AlexScarletHeartfiliaDragneel, AnimeLoverNK, Kitsune-chan, Guest 5/4, Ellianna, briskpillow642, RiftDragneelFairyTailOC, CrazyFanGirl, and Jasmine) for reviewing and encouraging me!**

 **Quick reviewer response:**

 **-briskpillow642: I'm not really planning on giving either Lucy or Takara a love interest right now. Even after she regains her memories, she's also been de-aged, so it would probably be a little awkward for her. I might write some spinoffs where she gets involved in a purely romantic and non-sexual relationship until she ages up properly :)**

 **-Flamexofxchaos: I like both cats and bunnies; can I pick both :)**

 **-RiftDragneelFairyTailOC: to make an OC memorable, make them important in your story. Include them in a lot of scenes, have people talk/gossip about them, have characters interact a lot. It's usually ideal to have them as the main character of the story. Also try to keep the number of OCs in a story low if you want the one to stand out. But most importantly you should also know your OC very well. Their appearances and habits and personalities are always very important. Good luck! :)**


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